Morels throughout my veggy garden. What to do?

[uppityperson]

It's a 20x20 hobby garden, not commercial, but I love fresh veggies. A few yrs ago I found a morel during spring prep. We slurried it and spread it several places on our property but haven't seen any more since.

Until this year.

There are hundreds, all over the garden beds and paths except where we recently dumped chicken litter or just dug in compost.

What to do? I'm thinking of planting spuds in those beds, but not stirring up the soil on the most morely bed by planting peas or greens or such and cutting the stems from the roots when they die to not disturb the mycelium. However, typically every spring I mix the top of all the beds, including the ones that grew morels.

I am stumped, don't know enough about mushroom growing. Thoughts? Advice?

[MuseRider]

1. Send them to me!!!!

Eat them. I still have some frozen from last year. Mmmmmmmm. Lucky you. You can sell them for a LOT of money.

[rsdsharp]

2. No, no! Me! Me!

I have cousins who go looking for morels every spring. We pulled into their farm yard one Saturday, and in the bed of a pickup they had about ten paper grocery bags each about half full of morels. They just casually handed me a bag. I called out my thanks as I beat a hasty retreat before they could change their minds.

[MuseRider]

4. MMMMMM!

I am going to start looking this week. I only look on my farm anymore so I rarely get too many but I did fairly well last year. I have had years when I see them in the pasture taller than the early grass but that is rare. Usually they are in the normal places and scattered around. I live for this, my dad took me out to the woods behind our house when I was about 4 and taught me. YUMMY!

[TdeV]

3. Check with your local extension office

Most university extension offices (in US and Canada) have an Ask a Master Gardener hotline. Someone there will know who grows mushrooms in your area.

In the meantime, at a search box type "growing morel mushrooms site:edu"

[Ocelot II]

5. Eat them! Pick them before they get woody and sautee them in butter.

Or send them to me and I'll deal with them. (But be sure they are real morels, which are hollow, and not false morels.)

[Tetrachloride]

6. Shake out spores in various places: birch, elm areas

[lastlib]

7. Where do you live??

Send me your address, and I'll come deal with them for you!

I morels! Dipped in egg batter, cracker crumbs, a little seasoning salt, deep-fried--OMG, Heaven!!!

[Tetrachloride]

8. tragically, i am now in a quite arid area

in a previous decade, morels grew near such trees near my house

[Emile]

9. Slice them in half, soak them overnight in salt water,

lightly flour them and fry them in a skillet.

[TygrBright]

10. Dry them and sell them. Prices per ounce $15 - $20. n/t